Tea, anyone?

When I was a child my mum drank about a dozen cups of coffee a day. She was totally, physiologically addicted to caffeine. So much so that, on Yom Kippur (when no food or drink of any kind is allowed for 25 hours) she would make a paste of instant coffee and a spoonful of water and take it like medicine, just to avoid the crippling caffeine-withdrawal headaches. Looking back on those days it is so strange to me that she is now completely unable to tolerate caffeine at all. Even a cup of tea will keep her awake half the night.

Of course, we British are obsessed with our hot drinks. Had a bad day? Put the kettle on. Got caught in the inevitable rain? Put the kettle on. Lost a limb in a freak mountaineering accident? Put the kettle on. You can’t negate that kind of cultural heritage just like that. So now mum drinks herbal tea, which is all well and good when you are at home, but not necessarily so straightforward when visiting friends.

Because I am a wonderful, splendiferous daughter (and she is looking after my kids next week while I am gallivanting off to Austin) I made her a little tea bag wallety thing to shove in her handbag. Now she can carry her weird herbal tea wherever she goes, and always participate in the British bonding ritual that is a gossip over a cuppa.

I’ll probably write up a tutorial in a couple of days so you can make your own. It’s a lovely quick make, and I think it would be a cute gift for the caffeine-avoiders in your life.